{"id":51880,"date":"2021-10-20T07:35:22","date_gmt":"2021-10-20T11:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=51880"},"modified":"2026-05-04T10:00:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T14:00:03","slug":"why-we-sleep-quotes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-we-sleep-quotes\/","title":{"rendered":"Why We Sleep: Quotes by Dr. Matthew Walker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you looking for Why We Sleep <\/em>quotes by Matthew Walker? Do you want to better understand the science behind sleep?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book Why We Sleep<\/em> by Matthew Walker, Ph.D., he discusses how sleep happens, its major benefits, and the best ways to get better sleep<\/a>. This is important research because sleep can affect everything from productivity at work to whether or not you develop diabetes or cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the top Why We Sleep <\/em>quotes by Walker with explanations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Quotes From Why We Sleep<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re probably getting less sleep than you should be. Many people are more chronically sleep-deprived than they realize, and the punishments for this are severe\u2014reduced productivity and happiness, and an increased risk of a panel of diseases. In Why We Sleep<\/em>, \u201csleep diplomat\u201d and New York Times<\/em> best-selling author Matthew Walker, Ph.D. unlocks some of the mysteries of sleep based on research from both in and outside his Center for Human Sleep Science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the top Why We Sleep <\/em>quotes with elaborations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHumans are not sleeping the way nature intended. The number of sleep bouts, the duration of sleep, and when sleep occurs has all been comprehensively distorted by modernity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

According to Walker, there are five modern factors that negatively affect sleep:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Caffeine<\/strong>\u2014blocks adenosine<\/a> receptors, thus reducing how much you feel the desire to sleep. (Shortform note: If you can\u2019t shake the habit of drinking a hot beverage late in the afternoon or evening, try herbal teas that may help promote sleep and relaxation<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Light<\/strong>\u2014nowadays, artificial light constantly fills our homes and disrupts our circadian rhythm<\/a>. Blue light is most problematic, suppressing melatonin at twice the levels of warm light. (Shortform note: Blue light may have an even bigger impact on children<\/a>, as they\u2019re more sensitive to light and have bigger pupils.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Constant temperature<\/strong>\u2014in modern times, thermostats homogenize temperatures, suppressing the biological systems that use temperature changes throughout the day as sleep cues. (Shortform note: If it\u2019s too hot and you have no access to air-conditioning, cool your body temperature by avoiding exercising at night, avoiding anything spicy, and stashing your pillowcases in the fridge.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Alcohol<\/strong>\u2014a sedative that causes what appears<\/em> to be sleep but is really more like anesthesia. It causes you to wake up throughout the night and prevents you from getting REM sleep. Walker encourages total abstinence from alcohol. (Shortform note: A less puritanical approach comes from The Sleep Foundation, who recommend that you stop drinking alcohol at least four hours before bedtime<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Alarms<\/strong>\u2014cause acute stress responses when you wake up, spiking your cortisol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure. (Shortform note: One study suggests that changing your alarm from a jarring sound to an upbeat song can help combat sleep inertia<\/a>, that disoriented state you\u2019re in upon waking up.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Humans need more than seven hours of sleep each night to maintain cognitive performance. After ten days of just seven hours of sleep, the brain is as dysfunctional as it would be after going without sleep for twenty-four hours. Three full nights of recovery sleep (i.e., more nights than a weekend) are insufficient to restore performance back to normal levels after a week of short sleeping.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Walker says that routinely sleeping six or seven hours a night \u201csubstantially increases your risk of certain forms of cancer.\u201d Additionally, in his blog, he writes that short sleep isn\u2019t linked to all<\/em> types of cancer<\/a>, but that it\u2019s associated with increasing the risk of specific cancers, such as lung, ovarian, thyroid, and blood cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cthe shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. The leading causes of disease and death in developed nations\u2014diseases that are crippling health-care systems, such as heart disease, obesity, dementia, diabetes, and cancer\u2014all have recognized causal links to a lack of sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

1. Sleep deprivation worsens attention and concentration. <\/strong>Performance progressively worsens with greater sleep deficit, which is <\/strong>especially harmful for those who are performing high-risk activities like driving. (Shortform note: In the original text, Walker wrote that there are more vehicular accidents caused by drowsy driving than by alcohol and drugs combined. He has since removed this vague claim from the book and revised it to include statistics, saying it\u2019s hard to objectively quantify the number of accidents due to drowsy driving versus driving under the influence.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Sleep deprivation worsens emotional control. <\/strong>Walker says that when you\u2019re sleep-deprived, your amygdala (the part of your brain that controls emotion) can run amok, leading to 60% more emotional reactivity<\/strong>. Sleep disruption is a common symptom of all mood disorders. However, sleep deprivation actually makes one-third of depression patients feel better. (Shortform note: Guzey notes that Walker downplays the benefits of sleep deprivation\u2014studies suggest that it\u2019s beneficial to about 45-50%<\/em> of patients with depression. Walker clarifies that these findings emerged after<\/em> the book was written.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Sleep deprivation may contribute to Alzheimer\u2019s<\/strong>. Sleep loss may disrupt memory formation<\/a> as well as the glymphatic cleanup system, which clears out Alzheimer\u2019s-associated plaques. (Shortform note: A study suggests that sleeping on your side can help decrease the chances of developing Alzheimer\u2019s<\/a> and other neurological diseases.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cInadequate sleep\u2014even moderate reductions for just one week\u2014disrupts blood sugar levels so profoundly that you would be classified as pre-diabetic.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Sleep deprivation reduces insulin responsiveness, which causes hyperglycemia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n